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Welcome to the Catholic Worker in Glasgow



Martha Hennessy

 


Nuclear Weapons - Ukraine and the Bomb

There is a famous Russian painting entitled “The Zaporozhian Cossaks' Reply to the Turkish Sultan” made by the prestigious artist Ilya Repin in 1891. It vividly depicts the  boisterous defiance of    Russian Cossacks to the humiliating demands of surrender from the Sultan. This place, on the river Dneipro, which was the scene of iconic heroism in Russian historical narrative, is now known as Zaporozhzhia.

Note that we all must now spell this with two “zh’s”, just as we now say Dneipro and not Dneipr’ , and Kiyv not Kiev, because these are the Ukrainian spelling and not the traditional English/Russian. And now that we have reallocated this country from the category of the Evil Empire (which it has been for all of my life) to helpless victim of those terrible Russians, this makes it clear that these are now the good guys, but the Russians are still the baddies. Understood?

So, Zaporozhzhia is now Ukrainian, [more...]

Culture - Living the Happy Valley of Lent

The last few months have seen the British public caught up in the frenzy of the last “Happy Valley” season and last episode. Everywhere one goes, people are discussing it. My husband and I have started watching the series, from Season 1. We are now – with high anticipation – ready to watch THE final episode (possibly this very night). Dodging “spoilers” has become a daily sporting activity.

What does the Happy Valley craze have to do with Lent? [more...]

Saints - Saint Bernadette

In September, Carfin Grotto will be hosting the relics of Saint Bernadette. For many Catholics in Scotland, this will be a joyous occasion, and there will be pilgrimages to Carfin to remember, reverence, and ponder the little teenage girl who saw Mary in 1858, and changed the course of history for our Church.

Coincidentally, I had the blessing to go to Lourdes this past summer [more...]

 

Saint Margaret prayer card



 

Militarism - The Year of the Rabbit

With The Chinese Spring Festival ending, and the Year of the Rabbit upon us my family and I have been celebrating the festivities more ‘freely’ this year as the Covid restrictions have much relaxed.

Several years ago, my wife, along with our daughter started to attend our local Church, St. Peter's and St. Simon's in Partick.  My wife was a Chinese National at the time, but now she has relinquished her Chinese Passport and is a UK passport holder. Having been brought up in a Catholic family I was keen that our daughter and my wife develop a relationship with God, through our faith. My wife spent about a year training with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at the church and [more...]

 

Nuclear Weapons- The Nagasaki Cross

The Nun, the Bomb and the Cross

Sister Megan Rice came across as a warm and gentle peacekeeper, someone you would never think would break into a United States facility involved in the production of nuclear weapons. However on 28th July 2012 St Megan and two    others entered the heavily guarded Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, considered the birthplace of the atomic bomb, and spray-painted anti-war slogans and splashed blood on walls ,the New York Times reported that nuclear weapons experts called this action "the biggest security breach in the history of the nation's atomic complex."

On 12 January 2016 we met Sister Meghan and spent the day with her visiting Faslane near Glasgow, [more...]

Nuclear Weapons - From Satanism to Sainthood

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself, wearing a symbol of Satan. That’s the cross with its arms wrenched down. It is Satanic. It is a symbol of the Anti-Christ”. Incensed with anger, the indignant parent at the PTA meeting jabbed at my CND lapel badge. Just at that moment the meeting began, [more...]

 

Nuclear Weapons - An invitation to the Holy Father

[The Holy Father did not in the end attend COP26]

Holy Father,

Your loving concern for the welfare of all God's children is known throughout the world and acknowledged by everybody. In Laudato Si you articulated this with thoughtful, precise and inspiring words. Now you are coming to Cop 26 in Glasgow to join with the representatives of many countries, to give witness to your concern for the fate of humanity and of the planet

You come to the land sanctified by the labours of countless luminaries suich as Columba, Ninian, Aiden, Margaret, and a host of others. Indeed our land was one famed as “specialis filia ecclesiae Romanae” - the special daughter of the Roman Church.  

[letter in full...]

 

 

Laudato Si' Movement - Critical Moment for Climate

 In November, Glasgow will play host to the COP [Conference of the Parties]26 at which discussions will revolve around how to work towards the targets set out in the Paris Agreement and UN Convention on Climate Change. There has been a great deal of excitement generated by the event and a definite feeling of momentum. However, this is also balanced by a sense of skepticism in whether the conference’s aims will be met, as well as what, and who, is being left out of the discussion. Here at the Glasgow Catholic Worker, we are acutely aware that there are still necessary topics that seem to be neglected, including living simply and the link between the climate crisis and violence, both of which are glaringly omitted from the official narrative.


If you look at the statement from COP President, Alok Sharma 
[more...]

Laudato Si' Movement - The Hour is Late

The hour is late so I won’t mince my words – Addressing climate change is inexorably tied to achieving peace and economic social justice, as entrenched militarism and oligarchic power structures are prioritizing capital over the planet, and marginalized communities will absorb the worst effects if we don’t act.   

These are the blunt facts of the matter; catastrophic environmental destruction is an act of war and violence against God’s creation, 6 million of the Creator’s creatures are the brink of extinction. If we do not act now then [more...].

 

A Glasgow Catholic Worker Prayer

Today we gather as a scattered community to pray
We ask you Lord to guide our hearts and hands
towards the works of mercy
which we as Catholic Workers are called to do .

We thank you Lord [more...]  

Laudato Si' Movement - A Man is a Dog’s Best Friend?

A few weeks ago I was at a cash machine taking some money out when I heard behind me what sounded like someone with a terrible cold, snorting and sniffling. When I turned round, I saw that in fact it was a dog, a type of bulldog. This dog was not ‘ill’ as such but always breathed like that. 

Not sure which type of bulldog it was but the French bulldog was UK's second most popular breed of dog in 2011. These and some other breeds are at much higher risk of developing health problems, [more...]

Hospitality - Entertaining Angels

At the heart of the Catholic Worker Movement’s philosophy lies the theme of hospitality, which is why our founder Dorothy Day would often quote this verse from Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

I’m not sure if I’ve ever unknowingly entertained an Angel throughout all my years as a community worker but once or twice, [more...]


Who was Dorothy Day?

  Dorothy Day was born on November 8th, 1897 in Brooklyn New York. She spent much of her childhood in San Francisco and Chicago. It was during her families move to Chicago that Dorothy got to feel first hand the impact of not having needed resources, as her father was temporarily unemployed. He did gain employment as a journalist in Chicago, and while certainly [more...]

Letter signed by Dorothy Day on abortion

Letter signed by Dorothy Day

Documentary on Dorothy Day


John Dear

John Dear joined us on the evening of 12th September 2013.  His talk was on non-viloence and and his contacts with the Catholic Worker. We didn't record the visit but John has written this Peace Journal from Scotland which gives an idea of his visit. Thank you John for your witness to the peace of Christ and the message of non-violence.

Rev, John Dear S.J. is a Jesuit Priest, Peace Activist, Organizer, Lecturer, Retreat leader, and author/editor of 28 books on peace and nonviolence. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Who are we?

We are a community of Catholics living out our faith in the world in partnership with people of all faiths and none.
We are inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Catholic Social Teaching [Read more...]

The Catholic Worker Believes..

                    

  • The Catholic Worker believes in the gentle personalism of traditional Catholicism.
  • The Catholic Worker believes in the personal obligation of looking after the needs of our sisters and brothers.
  • The Catholic Worker believes in the daily practice of the works of mercy.
  • The Catholic Worker believes in Houses of Hospitality for the immediate relief of those who are in need.
  • The Catholic Worker believes in creating a new society within the shell of the old.

 Peter Maurin

Events
Round table discussion

Third Monday of the month.

Please email to find out more.

 

 

"We need round-table discussions to keep trained minds from becoming academic.

We need round-table discussions to keep untrained minds from becoming superficial.

We need round-table discussions to learn from scholars how things would be, if they were as they should be." 

Peter Maurin

4 Minute Witness

First Saturday of the month.

On the First Saturday of the month we witness at Faslane for peace and an end to weapons of mass destruction.  Join us at 10:00am at the South Gate or get in touch, there may be transport available from the centre of Glasgow.

'I die with the conviction, held since 1968 and Catonsville, that nuclear weapons are the scourge of the earth; to mine for them, manufacture them, deploy them, use them, is a curse against God, the human family, and the earth itself.' Philip Berrigan

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